Multi-account card

ABSTRACT

A system for conducting a transaction is disclosed. The system may include one or more memory devices storing instructions and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to receive information associated with a transaction initiated using a multi-account card. The one or more processors may be further configured to select and employ one of a plurality of transaction accounts to complete the transaction.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This disclosure is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/713,855, filed May 15, 2015,which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. provisional PatentApplication No. 61/994,535, filed May 16, 2014, and entitled “Systemsand Methods for Conducting A Transaction with a Multi-Account Card.” Theentire contents of the aforementioned applications are incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to systems and methods forconducting transactions, and more particularly, systems and methods forconducting transactions using a multi-account card.

BACKGROUND

Consumers are often forced to make quick decisions when paying for goodsand/or services and sometimes question their decisions regardingpurchases after they occur. For example, a consumer who purchases aproduct with a credit card account may question whether he or sheactually wanted to use the credit card to make the purchase. Theconsumer may have preferred to use funds from a debit account, adifferent credit card account, or a rewards account to pay for thepurchased product. Similarly, a consumer may decide after a recentpurchase made with a debit account that the purchase should have beenfunded through other accounts, such as an installment loan or creditcard account. In another example, a customer may use a business-expensecard to make a personal purchase, or vice versa. Typically, a consumermust decide before a purchase how to fund the payment and has limitedoptions in changing their decision after the transaction is finished.

SUMMARY

The disclosed embodiments include systems and methods that enable aconsumer to use a multi-account card for transactions and select anaccount for completing each transaction at a later, more convenienttime.

Consistent with a disclosed embodiment, a system for conducting atransaction is provided. The system may include one or more memorydevices storing instructions and one or more processors configured toexecute the instructions to receive information associated with atransaction initiated using a multi-account card. The multi-account cardmay be associated with a plurality of financial service accounts. Theone or more processors may be further configured to select one of theplurality of financial service accounts for use in completing thetransaction and complete the transaction with the selected financialservice account.

Consistent with another disclosed embodiment, a computer-implementedmethod for conducting a transaction is provided. The method may includereceiving, by one or more processors, information associated with atransaction initiated using a multi-account card. The multi-account cardmay be associated with a plurality of financial service accounts. Themethod may also include selecting, by the one or more processors, one ofthe plurality of financial service accounts for use in completing thetransaction. The method may further include completing, by the one ormore processors, the transaction with the selected financial serviceaccount

Although disclosed embodiments are discussed primarily in the context ofmobile devices and software instructions that are executed by mobiledevices, other implementations are contemplated. For example, disclosedembodiments may include software instructions that are executed by acomputing system, such as a desktop computer, a laptop, etc. Moreover,the configuration and architecture, etc. of the computing systems,mobile or non-mobile, are not limiting to the disclosed embodiments.Systems or components that execute software instructions to perform oneor more operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments and/orstore information generated and/or used by the disclosed embodiments,may be particularly configured to perform the one or more particularoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and,together with the description, serve to explain the disclosedembodiments. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system consistent with disclosedembodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary financial service providercomputing system, consistent with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary client device computingsystem, consistent with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an exemplary configuration of a multi-accountcard, consistent with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary multi-account card transactionprocess, consistent with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary multi-account transactioninitiation process, consistent with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary account selection process,consistent with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary transaction completion process,consistent with disclose embodiments; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of exemplary interfaces associated withaccount selection processes consistent with certain disclosedembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the disclosed embodiments,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverconvenient, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, a customer may use amulti-account card to conduct a transaction, such as a purchasetransaction with a merchant. The multi-account card may be associatedwith a plurality of financial service accounts. After initiating atransaction with a merchant, a financial service provider associatedwith the financial service accounts may authorize the transaction basedon characteristics of the accounts and stored customer settings, forexample, and without selection of a financial service account to be usedto complete the transaction. The customer may subsequently select afinancial service account to use to complete the transaction.Additionally or alternatively, the financial service provider mayautomatically select a financial service account to use to complete thetransaction. The financial service provider may proceed to complete thetransaction using the selected account.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary system 100 for performingone or more operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. In oneembodiment, system 100 may include a financial service provider 110, aclient device 120, a merchant 130, and a network 140. The components andarrangement of the components included in system 100 may vary. Thus,system 100 may further include other components that perform or assistin the performance of one or more processes consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

Financial service provider 110 may be an entity that provides financialservices. For example, financial service provider 110 may be a bank,credit card issuer, or other type of financial service entity thatoffers, issues, generates, provides, manages, and/or maintains financialservice accounts for one or more users. Financial service accounts mayinclude, for example, credit card accounts, checking accounts, savingsaccounts, business accounts, personal accounts, reward accounts, loanaccounts (e.g., general (e.g., general purpose use) and specific (e.g.,automobile, home improvement, mortgage, etc.)), lines of credit,promotional financing accounts, long term financing accounts,transactional credit accounts, installment loan accounts, and any othertypes of financial service account known to those skilled in the art.Financial service accounts may be associated with electronic accounts,such as a digital wallet or similar account that may be used to performelectronic transactions, such as purchasing goods and/or servicesonline.

Financial service accounts may also be associated with one or morefinancial account products, such as a physical financial service accountcard (e.g., a plastic card or similar type of card product) that a usermay carry on their person and use to perform financial servicetransactions, such as purchasing goods and/or services at a point ofsale (POS) terminal. Financial account products may also includeelectronic type of account products, such as a mini card, or other typeof product that may be configured to work with a computing system (e.g.,mobile device) to operate like a physical financial account card.

In an exemplary embodiment, multiple financial service accounts may beassociated with the same financial account product, referred to hereinas a multi-account card. While depicted and described as a card, itshould be understood that a multi-account card may refer to anyfinancial product associated with more than one financial serviceaccount and configured to be used in one or more of the exemplarydisclosed processes. Financial service provider 110 may includeinfrastructure and components that are configured to generate andprovide financial service accounts and multi-account cards to consumers.

In addition, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments arenot limited to financial service accounts or financial serviceproviders. That is, financial service provider 110 may, where othertypes of accounts or products are implemented, represent an entity thatprovides other types of accounts or products that may be configured,activated, and/or controlled in a manner consistent with the disclosedembodiments. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that insuch implementations, the operations of financial service provider 110(and its components) as described herein may vary based on the type ofentity and the type of accounts or products implemented by the disclosedembodiments.

In one embodiment, financial service provider 110 may include one ormore computing systems that are configured to execute softwareinstructions stored on one or more memory devices to perform one or moreoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. In one embodiment,financial service provider 110 may include server 111. Server 111 may beone or more computing devices configured to execute softwareinstructions stored in memory to perform one or more operationsconsistent with the disclosed embodiments.

For example, server 111 may include one or more memory device(s) storingdata and software instructions and one or more processor(s) configuredto use the data and execute the software instructions to performserver-based functions and operations known to those skilled in the artand related to the function and operations of the type of businessesperformed by financial service provider 110 (or other type of entitycomponent 110 may represent). Moreover, in certain embodiments, server111 may be configured to execute software instructions that interactwith software program(s) stored and executed by client device 120, suchas a mobile application that is executed on a mobile device.

Server 111 may be a general purpose computer, a mainframe computer, orany combination of these components. In certain embodiments, server 111(or a system including server 111) may be configured as a particularapparatus, system, and the like based on the storage, execution, and/orimplementation of the software instructions that perform one or moreoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Server 111 may bestandalone, or it may be part of a subsystem, which may be part of alarger system. For example, server 111 may represent distributed serversthat are remotely located and communicate over a network (e.g., network140) or a dedicated network, such as a LAN, for financial serviceprovider 110.

Server 111 may include or may connect to one or more storage devicesconfigured to store data and/or software instructions used by one ormore processors of server 111 to perform operations consistent withdisclosed embodiments. For example, server 111 may include memoryconfigured to store one or more software programs that performs severalfunctions when executed by a processor. The disclosed embodiments arenot limited to separate programs or computers configured to performdedicated tasks. For example, server 111 may include memory that storesa single program or multiple programs. Additionally, server 111 mayexecute one or more programs located remotely from server 111. Forexample, server 111 may access one or more remote programs stored inmemory of a remote component that, when executed, perform operationsconsistent with the disclosed embodiments. In certain aspects, server111 may include web server software that generates, maintains, andprovides web site(s) that are accessible over network 140. In otheraspects, financial server provider 110 may connect separate webserver(s) or similar computing devices that generate, maintain, andprovide web site(s) for financial service provider 110.

Client device 120 may be one or more computing devices that areconfigured to execute software instructions for performing one or moreoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Client device 120may be a desktop computer, a laptop, a server, a mobile device (e.g.,tablet, smart phone, etc.), and/or any other type of computing device.Client device 120 may include one or more processors configured toexecute software instructions stored in memory, such as memory includedin client device 120. Client device 120 may include software that whenexecuted by one or more processors performs known Internet-relatedcommunications and content display processes. For instance, clientdevice 120 may execute browser software that generates and displaysinterfaces including content on a display device included in, orconnected to, client device 120. The disclosed embodiments are notlimited to any particular configuration of client device 120. Forinstance, client device 120 may be a mobile device that stores andexecutes mobile applications that provide financial service relatedfunctions offered by financial service provider 110 and/or merchant 130,such as a mobile banking application for controlling, configuring, andviewing information relating to financial accounts, etc. In certainembodiments, client device 120 may be configured as a particularapparatus, system, and the like based on the storage, execution, and/orimplementation of the software instructions that perform one or moreoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

In one embodiment, a user 101 may provide input to client device 120that is used by software executed by client device 120 to perform one ormore operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. In oneaspect, user 101 may be a customer or a potential customer of financialservice provider 110. For instance, financial service provider 110 maygenerate and maintain multiple financial service accounts (e.g., creditcard account, a line of credit, etc.), for user 101 and which may beassociated with a multi-account card. User 101 may use the multi-accountcard to purchase goods and/or services online or at brick and mortarlocations associated with a merchant, such as merchant 130, using one ormore of the financial service accounts associated with the multi-accountcard.

Merchant 130 may be an entity that provides goods and/or services forpurchase by consumers (e.g., individuals, businesses, etc.). While FIG.1 shows one merchant 130 in system 100, the disclosed embodiments may beimplemented in a system involving multiple merchants (e.g., a restaurantmerchant, a grocery store merchant, a retail store merchant, etc.).Merchant 130 may include brick and mortar location(s) that a consumer(e.g., user 101) may physically visit and purchase goods and services.Such physical locations may include computing devices that performfinancial service transactions with consumers (e.g., POS terminal(s),kiosks, etc.). They may also include back and/or front-end computingcomponents that store data and execute software instructions to performoperations consistent with disclosed embodiments, such as computers thatare operated by employees of merchant 130 (e.g., back office systems,etc.). In certain embodiments, merchant 130 may also include one or moremerchants that provide electronic shopping mechanisms, such as a websiteor similar online location that consumers may access using a computer(e.g., client device 120) through browser software or similar software.

In one embodiment, merchant 130 may include server 131. Server 131 maybe one or more computing devices configured to execute softwareinstructions stored in memory to perform one or more processesconsistent with the disclosed embodiments. For example, server 131 mayinclude one or more memory device(s) storing data and softwareinstructions and one or more processor(s) configured to use the data andexecute the software instructions to perform server-based functions andoperations known to those skilled in the art. Server 131 may be ageneral purpose computer, a mainframe computer, or any combination ofthese components. In certain embodiments, server 131 (or a systemincluding server 111) may be configured as a particular apparatus,system, and the like based on the storage, execution, and/orimplementation of the software instructions that perform one or moreoperations consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Server 131 may bestandalone, or it may be part of a subsystem, which may be part of alarger system. For example, server 131 may represent distributed serversthat are remotely located and communicate over a network (e.g., network140) or a dedicated network, such as a LAN, for merchant 150.

In certain aspects, server 131 may include web server software thatgenerates, maintains, and provides web site(s) for a respective merchant130 that is accessible over network 140. In other aspects, server 131may connect to separate web server(s) or similar computing devices thatgenerate, maintain, and provide web site(s) for merchant 130. Forexample, merchant 130 may use web server(s) that provide a web sitespecific to merchant 130, and allows user 101 to access, view, andpurchase goods and/or services from merchant 130.

Network 140 may be any type of network configured to providecommunications between components of system 100. For example, network100 may be any type of network (including infrastructure) that providescommunications, exchanges information, and/or facilitates the exchangeof information, such as the Internet, a Local Area Network, or othersuitable connection(s) that enables the sending and receiving ofinformation between the components of system 100. In other embodiments,one or more components of system 100 may communicate directly through adedicated communication link(s), such as the exemplary links betweenserver 111 and server 131.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary computing system including server 111 forfinancial service provider 110, consistent with certain disclosedembodiments. While depicted and described as server 111, it should beunderstood that the configuration and components of the computing systemof FIG. 2 may additionally or alternatively represent that of server 131of merchant 130, client device 120, and/or a component not shown in FIG.1.

In one embodiment, server 111 may include one or more processors 221,one or more input/output (I/O) devices 222, and one or more memories223. Alternatively, server 111 may take the form of a general purposecomputer, a mainframe computer, or any combination of these components.In certain embodiments, server 111 (or a system including server 111)may be configured as a particular apparatus, system, and the like basedon the storage, execution, and/or implementation of the softwareinstructions that perform one or more operations consistent with thedisclosed embodiments. Server 111 may be standalone, or it may be partof a subsystem, which may be part of a larger system.

Processor 221 may include one or more known processing devices, such asa microprocessor from the Pentium™ or Xeon™ family manufactured byIntel™, the Turion™ family manufactured by AMD™, or any of variousprocessors manufactured by Sun Microsystems. The disclosed embodimentsare not limited to any type of processor(s) configured in server 111.

I/O devices 222 may be one or more device that is configured to allowdata to be received and/or transmitted by server 111. I/O devices 222may include one or more digital and/or analog communication devices thatallow server 111 to communicate with other machines and devices, such asother components of systems 100.

Memory 223 may include one or more storage devices configured to storeinstructions used by processor 221 to perform functions related todisclosed embodiments. For example, memory 223 may be configured withone or more software instructions, such as program(s) 224 that mayperform one or more operations when executed by processor(s) 221. Thedisclosed embodiments are not limited to separate programs or computersconfigured to perform dedicated tasks. For example, memory 223 mayinclude a single program 224 that performs the functions of the server211, or program 224 could comprise multiple programs. Additionally,processor 221 may execute one or more programs located remotely fromserver 211. For example, financial service provider 110, via server 111,may access one or more remote programs that, when executed, performfunctions related to certain disclosed embodiments.

Memory 223 may also store data 225 that may reflect any type ofinformation in any format that the system may use to perform operationsconsistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Server 111 may also be communicatively connected to one or moredatabase(s) 226. Server 111 may be communicatively connected todatabase(s) 226 through network 140. Database 226 may include one ormore memory devices that store information and are accessed and/ormanaged through server 111. By way of example, database(s) 226 mayinclude Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases, or other relationaldatabases or non-relational databases, such as Hadoop sequence files,HBase, or Cassandra. The databases or other files may include, forexample, data and information related to the source and destination of anetwork request, the data contained in the request, etc. Systems andmethods of disclosed embodiments, however, are not limited to separatedatabases. In one aspect, server 111 as exemplified in FIG. 2 mayinclude database 226. Alternatively, database 226 may be locatedremotely from the server 111. Database 226 may include computingcomponents (e.g., database management system, database server, etc.)configured to receive and process requests for data stored in memorydevices of database(s) 226 and to provide data from database 226.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary client device 120 consistent with certaindisclosed embodiments. In one embodiment, client device 120 may includeone or more processors 321, one or more input/output (I/O) devices 322,and one or more memories 323. In one embodiment, client device 120 maytake the form of a general purpose computer, a mainframe computer, orany combination of these components. In some embodiments, client device120 may be a personal computing device, such as a smartphone, tablet,laptop, desktop computer, etc.

In certain embodiments, client device 120 (or a system including clientdevice 120) may be configured as a particular apparatus, system, and thelike based on the storage, execution, and/or implementation of thesoftware instructions that perform one or more operations consistentwith the disclosed embodiments. Client device 120 may be standalone, orit may be part of a subsystem, which may be part of a larger system.

Processor 321 may include one or more known processing devices, such asa microprocessor from the Pentium™ or Xeon™ family manufactured byIntel™, the Turion™ family manufactured by AMD™, or any of variousprocessors manufactured by Sun Microsystems. The disclosed embodimentsare not limited to any type of processor(s) configured in client device120.

I/O devices 322 may be one or more device that is configured to allowdata to be received and/or transmitted by server 311. I/O devices 322may include one or more digital and/or analog communication devices thatallow server 311 to communicate with other machines and devices, such asother components of system 100.

Memory 323 may include one or more storage devices configured to storeinstructions used by processor 321 to perform functions related to thedisclosed embodiments. For example, memory 323 may be configured withone or more software instructions, such as program(s) 324 that mayperform one or more operations when executed by processor 321. Thedisclosed embodiments are not limited to separate programs or computersconfigured to perform dedicated tasks. For example, memory 323 mayinclude a single program 324 that performs the functions of clientdevice 120, or program 324 could comprise multiple programs.Additionally, processor(s) 321 may execute one or more programs locatedremotely from client device 120. For example, client device 120, mayaccess one or more remote programs that, when executed, performfunctions related to certain disclosed embodiments.

Memory 323 may also store data 325 that may reflect any type ofinformation in any format that the system may use to perform operationsconsistent with the disclosed embodiments.

In certain embodiments, memory 323 may store a mobile bankingapplication 326. Mobile banking application 326 may be one or moreprograms or software instructions that, when executed by processor(s)321, perform one or more banking operations. For example, mobile bankingapplication 326 may be a mobile application that is stored in a mobiledevice (e.g., client device 120) that performs operations and generatesinterface(s) that are displayed on a display device of client device120. The interface(s) may be configured to present information andprovide request(s) that elicit input from user 101. Client device 120may be configured with known input hardware and software components thataccept input from user 101 through known mobile device mechanisms, suchas touch screen technologies, voice input, keypad entry, etc. Mobilebanking application 326 may be configured to use information associatedwith the user 101 input to generate information, analyze and determinecondition(s), generate results based on those condition(s), and providedata and interface(s) including the data. In certain aspects, mobilebanking application 326 may be configured to perform one or moreprocesses consistent with the disclosed embodiments, such as, forexample, providing interfaces with options to allow a user to select afinancial account for funding recent purchase transactions involving amulti-account card provided by financial service provider 110.

As described above, financial service provider 110 may provide andmaintain one or more financial service accounts associated with acustomer. Typically, each financial service account may be associatedwith one or more separate financial account products, such as a physicalcard that a user may carry on their person and use to perform financialservice transactions at a point of sale (POS) terminal. With thistypical configuration, a customer must select the financial accountproduct associated with a particular account when initiating atransaction with a merchant (e.g., merchant 130). Consistent withdisclose embodiments, instead of this typical process, a customer mayuse a multi-account card for all transactions, and select a financialservice account for use in completing each transaction at a later time,or which may be selected automatically.

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of an exemplary multi-account card 410,consistent with disclosed embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4, a singlemulti-account card 410 may be associated with a plurality of financialservice accounts. Each financial service account may be a differentfinancial service account held by the same customer (or at leastaccessible by a common customer). For example, the plurality offinancial service accounts may include a checking account, savingsaccount, credit account, business-expense account, personal expenseaccount, etc. Each financial service account may have its own accountcharacteristics (e.g., account type, credit limit, interest rate,agreement terms, etc.).

In an exemplary embodiment, a customer (e.g., user 101) may usemulti-account card 410 at a POS terminal to conduct a financialtransaction using one or more of the financial service accountsassociated with the multi-account card 410. Financial service provider110 (e.g., via server 111) may authorize the transaction, and aninteraction between the customer and merchant 130 may be completed. Inan exemplary embodiment, the customer may then select a financialservice account for use in completing the transaction at a later time.In some embodiments, one or more components of system 100 (e.g., server111) may automatically select a financial service account to be used incompleting the transaction.

In an exemplary embodiment, multi-account card 410 may be associatedwith each financial service account such that, after identifyingmulti-account card 410, server 111 may configure and/or control any offinancial service accounts. For example, server 111 may be configured togenerate a pending transaction for any of financial service accounts.

In one embodiment, multi-account card 410 may be associated with a“ghost card” that corresponds to one or more of financial serviceaccounts. The “ghost card” may be linked through server 111 (or anothercomponent of financial service provider 110) to each financial serviceaccount, such that generating a pending transaction for the “ghost card”may create a corresponding pending transaction for each associatedfinancial service account.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an exemplary multi-account card transactionprocess 500, consistent with disclosed embodiments. In one embodiment,one or more components of system 100, such as server 111, client device120, and server 131, may perform one or more of the steps of process500. In certain aspects, a customer (e.g., user 101) may obtain amulti-account card 410, which may be configured such that it isassociated with each of the plurality of financial service accounts,which each may be held by the customer and be maintained by financialservice provider 110. The customer may then use multi-account card 410in a transaction, which may be completed through process 500.

Multi-account card transaction process 500 may include initiation of apayment using multi-account card 410 (step 510). In one embodiment,server 131, which may be connected to a POS device, may receiveinformation about a transaction. For example, server 131 may receiveinformation that includes information identifying the transaction (e.g.,purchase amount) and information identifying multi-account card 410(e.g., a multi-card account number). The POS device connected to server131 may receive the information identifying multi-account card 410 in aconventional manner, such as by reading information stored in a magneticstrip on multi-account card 410 or some other communication system(e.g., RFID, Bluetooth®, WIFI, etc.). In some embodiments, merchantdevice 130 may also receive information identifying the customer (e.g.,a pin number) and/or other information.

In an exemplary embodiment, server 131 may transmit the receivedtransaction information to server 111, for example over network 140.Server 111 may use the transaction information to authorize thetransaction (step 520). In one example, server 111 may authorize thetransaction by determining whether the transaction meets authorizationcriteria for one or more of the financial service accounts. For example,server 111 may determine whether the transaction amount exceeds a limit(e.g., credit limits, daily spending limit, loan amount, etc.) for eachfinancial service account. In another example, server 111 may comparetransaction information to composite authorization criteria generatedand stored based on the characteristics of financial service accounts(e.g., a limit based on the lowest limit of the accounts). It should beunderstood that the criteria under which the transaction may beauthorized may vary, depending on the configuration of server 111 andthe financial service accounts.

However, regardless of the manner in which authorization is determined,it should be understood that server 111 may determine that thetransaction is authorized without identification of the particularfinancial service account that will be used to complete the transaction(e.g., fund a payment). If server 111 determines that a transaction isnot authorized (or cannot be authorized without additional information),server 111 may proceed to notify merchant 130 and/or user 101 (and/orrequest and receive the additional information and re-attempt toauthorize the transaction). Additional examples regarding authorizationof transactions will be described in more detail below.

After server 111 authorizes the transaction, an interaction between thecustomer (e.g., user 101) and the merchant (e.g., merchant 130) may becomplete. For example, a customer may leave a retail store with theirpurchase, leave a restaurant after a meal, enter an area requiring anentry fee, receive a requested service, etc. Before, during, or afterthis interaction, one or more components of system 100 may perform oneor more processes to select a financial service account for use incompleting the transaction (step 530). For example, client device 120may receive input from user 101 indicating a selection, which may betransmitted to server 111. In other embodiments, server 111 and/orclient device 120 may execute software instructions to perform a processto automatically select a financial service account. In someembodiments, an automatic selection may be made for each transaction,while an opportunity for user 101 to change the selection before thetransaction is completed is maintained for a predetermined period oftime.

With a financial service account selected, server 111 (and/or anothercomponent of system 100) may complete the transaction (step 540). Forexample, server 111 may execute software instructions to perform one ormore processes to complete the transaction using the selected account.In one example, server 111 may perform a process to transfer funds fromthe selected financial service account to complete a payment from thecustomer to merchant 130.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary multi-account card transactionauthorization process 600. In some aspects, process 600 may correspondto step 520 of multi-account card transaction process 500. In oneembodiment, server 111 may perform process 600 to authorize atransaction initiated by multi-account card 410 (or determine that thetransaction is not authorized). It should be understood, however, thatone or more other components of system 100 (shown or not shown) mayperform one or more steps of process 600.

As was described in process 500, a customer may initiate a multi-accountcard transaction by using their multi-account card 410 at a POS deviceconnected to server 131 of a merchant 130. Server 131 may receiveinformation about the transaction, such as a transaction amount andinformation identifying multi-account card 410, and transmit thetransaction information to server 111. Server 111 may receive andanalyze the transaction information to identify the multi-account card410 involved in the transaction (step 610). In some embodiments, server111 may also identify the financial service accounts associated with theidentified multi-account card 410.

Server 111 may use the transaction information to initiate amulti-account card transaction (step 620). In one embodiment, server 111may initiate a transaction by determining whether the transaction wouldbe authorized to complete with each financial service account. Forexample, server 111 may determine whether the transaction amount exceedsa limit associated with each financial service account. In anotherexample, server 111 may determine whether the transaction informationsatisfies composite authorization criteria generated based on thecharacteristics of financial service accounts.

If the authorization criteria are met, server 111 may authorize themulti-account card transaction. For example, if server 111 determinesthat the transaction would be authorized on all of the financial serviceaccounts, server 111 may authorize the multi-account card transaction.In an exemplary embodiment, server 111 may then generate a pendingtransaction with each financial service account, such as through the“ghost card” example described above.

However, if server 111 determines that the transaction is not authorizedfor one or more of financial service accounts (e.g., the transactionwould exceed a credit limit of a credit card account), server 111 maydetermine that the multi-account card transaction is not authorized.

In some embodiments, server 111 may attempt to remedy a determinationthat a multi-account card transaction is not authorized by communicatingwith client device 120 (or server 131). For example, server 111 mayprovide a notification to client device 120, which client device 120 mayuse to indicate to user 101 the financial service accounts for which thetransaction is authorized and the financial service accounts for whichthe transaction is not authorized. User 101 may input information toclient device 120 that indicates that user 101 would like thetransaction to continue using the financial service accounts for whichthe transaction is authorized, and which may include a selection ofwhich financial service account to be used to complete the transaction.Alternatively, user 101 may input information to client deviceindicating that user 101 does not want the transaction to continue.Client device 120 may transmit the input information to server 111,which may subsequently generate a pending transaction with the financialservice accounts for which the transaction is authorized (or only aselected financial service account), or may cancel the transactionaltogether.

If, after the initial authorization determination or any subsequentdeterminations, server 111 determines that the multi-account cardtransaction is authorized, server 111 may transmit a notification toserver 131 to inform merchant 130 of the authorization (step 630). Ifthe transaction is not authorized, server 111 may also notify server 131so that merchant 130 can stop the transaction. In an exemplaryembodiment, server 111 may also transmit a notification to client device120 (step 640). The notification received by client device 120 mayinclude information identifying the authorized transaction, as well asthe financial service accounts with which a transaction is pending, or,alternatively, that the transaction was not authorized (and possiblyincluding reasons for the determination).

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an exemplary account selection process 700,consistent with disclosed embodiments. In some aspects process 700 maycorrespond to step 530 of multi-account card transaction process 500. Inone embodiment, client device 120 may perform process 700 to provideserver 121 with information regarding a financial service account to useto complete one or more authorized multi-account card transactions. Inother embodiments, server 111 and/or server 131 may perform one or moresteps of process 700.

Client device 120 may receive data from server 111 (step 710). The datamay correspond to one or more authorized multi-account cardtransactions. For example, the data may identify various aspects of oneor more transactions (e.g., the data may include the time and/or date ofa transaction, an identifier of a merchant, and an amount of thetransaction).

Client device 120 may next execute software instructions to display anotification to user 101 (step 720). For example, client device 120 mayexecute mobile banking application 326 to display data received fromserver 111.

In one embodiment, client device 120 may display an interface showingrecently conducted transactions that have not yet been completed (e.g.,the interface may include a list of the transactions or otheridentifiers, such as images, related to the transactions). Thesetransactions may include transactions conducted using multi-account card410, but for which a financial service account to be used to completethe transaction has not yet been selected by the customer. As describedabove, server 111 may have generated a pending transaction for eachfinancial service accounts. Client device 120 may display each of thesetransactions, including information identifying each transaction (e.g.,merchant information, transaction amount, etc.), to the customer via aninterface associated with client device 120.

Client device 120 may receive input indicating a selection of afinancial service account to be used in completing a displayedtransaction (step 730). For example, user 101 may operate client device120 to select a displayed transaction and input information to selectone of financial service accounts (each of which have been authorized tocomplete the transaction and for which a pending transaction wasgenerated) to be used to complete the selected transaction. Forinstance, user 101 may select a restaurant transaction and select theirdebit card account to fund the transaction.

In one embodiment client device 120 may display a list of a plurality ofrecent transactions (e.g., transactions that occurred that day, withinthe last 24 hours, etc.). User 101 may operate client device to select afinancial service account for use in completing one or more of thetransactions. In another embodiment, client device 120 may display a“push” notification associated with a single transaction that recentlyoccurred, requesting that user 101 select a financial service accountfor the transaction. For example, after user 101 completes a retailpurchase at a merchant 130, client device 120 may receive and display anotification requesting user 101 select a financial service account tofund the purchase.

In some embodiments, server 111 and/or client device 120 may determine adefault financial service account to associate with each transaction.For example, user 101 may indicate that a credit card account should beused as a default account for each transaction. In these embodiments,client device 120 may indicate a default financial service account thatwill be used for the transaction if user 101 does not select anotherfinancial service account within a particular period of time. In someembodiments, default accounts may be designated for certain kinds oftransactions. For example, user 101 may establish preferences associatedwith a profile of user 101 that designate default accounts based ontransaction type (e.g., designate a default account for types oftransactions such as restaurant purchases, supermarket purchases,entertainment purchases, travel purchases, gas purchases, retail salespurchases, online purchases, etc.). User 101 may further or in thealternative designate default accounts based on when the purchase ismade (e.g., use a default account associated with business expenses forpurchases made during certain days and/or times). After client device120 receives a selection of a financial service account, client device120 may transmit a notification including the selection to server 111(step 740). The notification may indicate which financial serviceaccount should be used for one or more transactions that have not yetbeen completed. In one embodiment, client device 120 may transmit thenotification shortly after the selection is received. In anotherembodiment, client device 120 may transmit a list of one or moreselections at a predetermined time, such as at the end of the day. Insome embodiments, client device 120 may transmit information indicatingthat a selection has not yet been made for one or more transactions,such as after a predetermined time period.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of an exemplary transaction completion process800, consistent with disclosed embodiments. In certain aspects, process800 may correspond to step 540 of multi-account card transaction process500. In one embodiment, server 111 may perform process 800 to completeone or more transactions that were conducted using multi-account card410. For example, server 111 may use information about the transactionand/or information regarding selection of a financial service account tocomplete the transaction with only one of the financial service accountsfor which a pending transaction was generated.

Server 111 may select a transaction to complete (step 810). In oneembodiment, server 111 may select a transaction to complete afterreceiving selection of a financial service account to be used incompleting the transaction from client device 120. In anotherembodiment, server 111 may select a transaction to complete after apredetermined period since the transaction was initiated has passed(e.g., after 24 hours, 48 hours, etc.).

Server 111 may determine a financial service account as a designatedaccount to be used to complete the transaction (step 820). In oneexample, server 111 may select as the designated account a financialservice account that was selected by user 101 and transmitted to server111 from client device 120. In another example, server 111 may determinethat an automatic selection of a default financial service accountshould be used to as the designated account, such as after apredetermined time period has passed without receiving a selection fromclient device 120, or based on a customer setting indicating thatautomatic selection should be used without additional input from thecustomer.

Automatic selection of a default account may be based on a previousselection of a financial service account to be the default account. Forexample, user 101 may select their credit card account as their defaultaccount. In another example, automatic selection of a default accountmay occur based on stored customer settings. For example, server 111 maycompare information about a transaction with stored customer settings todetermine which financial service account should be selected as thedefault account. The customer settings may indicate the criteria underwhich a particular financial service account should be automaticallyselected. The criteria may include information regarding particularmerchants, merchant categories, transaction amounts, time periods,locations, and the like. For example, customer settings may indicatethat a debit account should be selected as the default account for alltransaction with transaction amounts below a threshold. In anotherexample, customer settings may indicate that a business card accountshould be selected as the default account for all transactions over acertain period of time (e.g., a period of time corresponding to abusiness trip). Through the customer settings and automatic selection ofa default account by server 111, transactions may be completed using anappropriate account even when user 101 does not provide a selection.

After server 111 determines which financial service account to be thedesignated account for use in completing a transaction, server 111 mayprevent pending transaction with non-designated accounts from beingcompleted (step 830). For example, server 111 may execute softwareinstructions to perform one or more processes to cancel any pendingtransactions with financial service accounts that are not the designatedaccount determined in step 820. In this way, the transaction will not becompleted using more than one financial service account (and thecustomer will not pay twice for a transaction).

Server 111 may complete the transaction using the designated accountdetermined in step 820 (step 840). In one embodiment, server 111 mayallow the pending transaction with the designated financial serviceaccount to automatically complete, such as through typical paymentprocessing procedures. In another embodiment, server 111 may send anotification to another component of financial service provider 110indicating that the transaction can be completed using the designatedaccount. Server 111 (or another component of system 100) may transferfunds from the designated account to an appropriate destination (e.g., amerchant account) to complete the transaction.

In some embodiments, server 111 may transmit a notification to clientdevice 120 indicating that the transaction was completed using thedesignated financial service account (step 850). Client device 120 maydisplay the notification to user 101, such as through mobile bankingapplication 326.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of exemplary interfaces 910, 920, and 930,consistent with disclosed embodiments. In one embodiment, client device120 may display interfaces 910, 920, and 930 to user 101 to allow user101 to select a financial service account to be used to complete aplurality of recent transactions. For example, client device 120 mayexecute mobile banking application 326 to generate and displayinterfaces 910, 920, and 930 on a mobile device (e.g., smartphone ortablet). It should be understood, however, that other configurations ofclient device 120 and interfaces 910, 920, and 930 are possible, such asa website interface displayed by a computing device, such as a laptop ordesktop computer.

As shown in FIG. 9, interface 910 may display a list of recenttransactions 940 to user 101. In an exemplary embodiment, eachtransaction 940 may be a multi-account card transaction that wasconducted using multi-account card 410 and authorized by server 111.Each transaction 940 may include descriptive information, such asmerchant information, transaction amount, time/day information, locationinformation, etc., such that user 101 may easily recognize thetransaction.

In an exemplary embodiment, each displayed transaction 940 may beassociated with a tag 945. Each tag 945 may indicate a financial serviceaccount that has been selected (either by user 101 or automatically byserver 111 and/or client device 120) as the financial service accountthat will be used to complete the transaction, or, as shown in interface910, may indicate that a transaction is untagged (e.g., a financialservice account has not yet been selected). As shown in FIG. 9,interface 910 may also include an expiration warning 950 for the listedtransactions. Expiration warning 950 may indicate a time that a defaultfinancial service account will be selected if user 101 does not input aselection.

In an exemplary embodiment, user 101 may operate client device 120 toselect a transaction 940 from the list of transactions display byinterface 910. For example, client device 120 may receive inputindicating “Transaction #1” was selected, which is a transaction 940that is tagged as unfiled. In one example, “Transaction #1” may be aretail purchase made at a clothing store. Based on the selection of thetransaction 940, client device may execute software instructions togenerate interface 920.

As shown in FIG. 9, interface 920 may display a list of financialservice accounts 960. In an exemplary embodiment, financial serviceaccounts 960 may correspond to financial service accounts. In someembodiments, financial service accounts 960 may only correspond to thosefinancial service accounts for which the transaction was previouslydetermined to be authorized and a pending transaction was generated.Interface 920 may list financial service accounts 960 and prompt user101 to select a financial service account 960 to fund the selectedtransaction 940 (in this case “Transaction #1”).

In an exemplary embodiment, user 101 may operate client device 120 toselect a financial service account 960 to be used to complete“Transaction #1”. For example, client device 120 may receive inputindicating that “Account #2 was selected. In the example describedabove, “Account #2” may be a personal debit account, which user 101 mayselect as appropriate to fund their retail purchase at the clothingstore. Based on the selection of the financial service account 960,client device 120 may generate interface 930.

As shown in FIG. 9, interface 930 may again display the list of recenttransactions 940 displayed by interface 910. However, as shown, thepreviously selected transaction 940 (in this case “Transaction #1”) mayindicate the selected financial service account 960 in tag 945. In thisway, client device 120 may indicate to user 101 that the transaction 940has been tagged and the transaction 940 will be completed using theselected financial service account 960.

In an exemplary embodiment, user 101 may proceed to operate clientdevice 120 to select each remaining untagged transaction 940 and selecta financial service account 960 for each. In some embodiments, user 101may select a previously tagged (either manually or automatically)transaction 940 and change the selected financial service account 960.

In an exemplary embodiment client device 120 may transmit a notificationto server 111 indicating the financial service account that was selectedfor one or more multi-account card transactions. For example, clientdevice 120 may transmit a notification to server 111 indicatingselections (or lack thereof) for transactions 940 for which theexpiration time has passed. In another example, client device 120 maytransmit a notification to server 111 immediately after a selection ismade and/or at the request of user 101. Server 111 may receive anotification from client device 120 and proceed to complete one or moretransactions, such as through transaction completion process 800described above.

In an alternative embodiment, multi-account card 410 may be associatedwith its own separate financial service account. For example,multi-account card 410 may be associated with a separate line-of-creditaccount with its own account characteristics (e.g., credit limit).Server 111 may associate the separate account with each other financialservice account and be configured to transfer a balance from theseparate account to one or more of the other financial service accounts.Server 111 may determine whether a multi-account card transaction isauthorized based on whether the transaction is authorized for theseparate financial service account. If the transaction is authorized,server 111 may generate a pending transaction with the separate account.Server 111 may then transfer the balance of the pending transaction to afinancial service account, such as based on a selection from user 101and/or an automatic selection process. If no selection is made, theserver 111 may process the transaction using the separate financialservice account.

The exemplary disclosed embodiments allow a customer to use amulti-account card to conduct transactions. Each transaction may beauthorized without a specific selection of a financial service accountthat will be used to complete the transaction. Sometime after thetransaction between the customer and the merchant occurs, the customermay consider the transaction and select an appropriate financial serviceaccount to be used in completing it (e.g., selecting a business-expenseaccount for a business expense and/or selecting a personal account for apersonal expense). In this way, a customer may quickly and easilyconduct transactions without considering which financial service accountshould be used for the transaction and/or without risking making anincorrect selection (e.g., using a business-expense account for apersonal purchase). Further, in some embodiments, automatic selection ofa financial service account may occur, further reducing the need for thecustomer to consider which financial service account to use, and therebysimplifying and improving the customer experience.

The exemplary disclosed embodiments describe systems and methods forproviding a multi-account card. The foregoing description has beenpresented for purposes of illustration. It is not exhaustive and is notlimited to the precise forms or embodiments disclosed. Modifications andadaptations of the embodiments will be apparent from consideration ofthe specification and practice of the disclosed embodiments. Forexample, the described implementations include hardware and software,but systems and methods consistent with the present disclosure can beimplemented as hardware alone. Alternatively, the disclosed embodimentsmay implement a specialized apparatus or system configured to executesoftware programs that perform processes consistent with the disclosedembodiments.

Computer programs based on the written description and methods of thisspecification are within the skill of a software developer. The variousprograms or program modules can be created using a variety ofprogramming techniques. For example, program sections or program modulescan be designed in or by means of Java, C, C++, assembly language, orany such programming languages. One or more of such software sections ormodules can be integrated into a computer system, computer-readablemedia, or existing communications software.

Moreover, while illustrative embodiments have been described herein, thescope includes any and all embodiments having equivalent elements,modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousembodiments), adaptations or alterations based on the presentdisclosure. The elements in the claims are to be interpreted broadlybased on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examplesdescribed in the present specification or during the prosecution of theapplication, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.Further, the steps of the disclosed methods can be modified in anymanner, including by reordering steps or inserting or deleting steps. Itis intended, therefore, that the specification and examples beconsidered as example only, with a true scope and spirit being indicatedby the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for conducting a transaction,comprising: one or more memory devices storing instructions; and one ormore processors configured to execute the instructions to: receiveinformation associated with a transaction initiated using amulti-account card, the multi-account card being associated with aplurality of accounts; determine for each of the plurality of accountswhether the transaction is authorized by that account; when thetransaction is authorized by more than one of the plurality of accounts:generate a pending transaction for each authorized account to complete apurchase from a merchant; maintain an opportunity for a period of timefor a user to select one of the plurality of authorized accounts tocomplete the transaction after completing the purchase; transmit fordisplay on a graphical user interface of a client device of the user,information regarding the pending transaction and an option for the userof the client device to select each of the authorized accounts; receive,from the client device, a selection by the user of one of the authorizedaccounts; complete the transaction upon receiving the selection of oneof the authorized accounts from the client device; and cancel pendingtransactions created for authorized accounts not selected by the user tocomplete the transaction.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein when thetransaction is authorized by fewer than all of the plurality ofaccounts, prompt the user to select an account from the authorizedaccounts to complete the transaction.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinwhen the transaction is authorized by each of the plurality of accounts,the one or more processors is further configured to execute theinstructions to transmit data to a client device, the data includinginstructions to prompt for the user to select an account from theplurality of accounts to complete the transaction if a selection has notbeen made within the period of time.
 4. The system of claim 3, whereinthe one or more processors is further configured to execute theinstructions to receive, from the client device, a selected account. 5.The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors is furtherconfigured to execute the instructions to complete the transaction uponreceiving the selected account.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein theone or more processors is further configured to execute the instructionsto cancel the transaction when no selection is made in response to theprompt.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors isfurther configured to execute the instructions to select a defaultaccount of the plurality of accounts to complete the transaction.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors is configured toexecute the software instructions to select the default account based onthe information associated with the transaction.
 9. The system of claim7, wherein the one or more processors is configured to execute thesoftware instructions to select the default account based on userprofile information associated with the multi-account card.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the user profile information comprisespreference information of a user of the multi-account card.
 11. Acomputer-implemented method for conducting a transaction, comprising:receiving, by one or more processors, information associated with atransaction initiated using a multi-account card, the multi-account cardbeing associated with a plurality of accounts; determining, by the oneor more processors, for each of the plurality of accounts whether thetransaction is authorized by that account; when the transaction isauthorized by more than one of the plurality of accounts: generating, bythe one or more processors, a pending transaction for each authorizedaccount to complete a purchase from a merchant; maintaining, by the oneor more processors, an opportunity for a period of time for a user toselect one of the plurality of authorized accounts to complete thetransaction after completing the purchase; transmitting for display on agraphical user interface of a client device of the user, informationregarding the pending transaction and an option for the user of theclient device to select each of the authorized accounts; receiving, fromthe client device, a selection by the user of one of the authorizedaccounts; completing, by the one or more processors, the transactionupon receiving the selection of one of the authorized accounts from theclient device; and cancelling, by the one or more processors, pendingtransactions created for authorized accounts not selected by the user tocomplete the transaction.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim11, wherein when the transaction is authorized by fewer than all of theplurality of accounts, prompting, by the one or more processors, theuser to select an account from the authorized accounts to complete thetransaction.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, whereinwhen the transaction is authorized by each of the plurality of accounts,the method further comprises: transmitting data to a client device, thedata including instructions to prompt for the user to select an accountfrom the plurality of accounts to complete the transaction if aselection has not been made within the period of time.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving,from the client device, a selected account.
 15. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 13, further comprising: cancelling the transaction whenno selection is made in response to the prompt.
 16. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising: selecting adefault account of the plurality of accounts to complete thetransaction.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, furthercomprising: selecting the default account based on the informationassociated with the transaction.
 18. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 16, further comprising: selecting the default account based onuser profile information associated with the multi-account card.
 19. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the user profileinformation comprises preference information of a user of themulti-account card.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumstoring instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform operations comprising: receiving informationassociated with a transaction initiated using a multi-account card, themulti-account card being associated with a plurality of accounts;determining for each of the plurality of accounts whether thetransaction is authorized by that account; when the transaction isauthorized by more than one of the plurality of accounts: generating apending transaction for each authorized account to complete a purchasefrom a merchant; maintaining an opportunity for a period of time for auser to select one of the plurality of authorized accounts to completethe transaction after completing the purchase; transmitting for displayon a graphical user interface of a client device of the user,information regarding the pending transaction and an option for the userof the client device to select each of the authorized accounts;completing the transaction upon receiving the selection of one of theauthorized accounts from the client device; and cancelling, by the oneor more processors, pending transactions created for authorized accountsnot selected by the user to complete the transaction.